Theater, Movies, Art and Literature

A new book likens him to a figure from Shakespearean tragedy: an outwardly haughty and sometimes magnificent figure, inwardly insecure and indecisive, self-regarding only in his own downfall. A Richard II perhaps; even Hamlet. In a book of many ironies, the fact is that of those close to him, few loved him. Certainly not as much as he loved himself. Most in his country came to loathe him with an intensity that surprised much of the world. “He was a difficult man to like – so suspicious, so certain we were all trying to do him down,” said the British Ambassador, before surprisingly adding, “And yet there was a naked vulnerability about him which made you genuinely sor…

He taught mathematics and musical theatre, and was a classically trained pianist. He also had an ear for satire just as a satire boom was about to explode on both sides of the Atlantic. Tom Lehrer's satire was witty and sometimes a bit daring in the 1950s and 60s, but for many years he became incredibly popular with his songs on topics of the day, often involving black humour. Yet they did not last the test of time. I expect they were never meant to, but that's just my opinion. They were just very much of their time. Lehrer died yesterday at the age of 97. Although he was Jewish, perhaps they might play his Vatican Rag at the funeral. In the meantime, with war going …

So another batch of Trump picks are virual idiots! That's the view of long-time chronicler of the spy agency the CIA, Tim Weiner. His latest book "The Mission" is due out next week. As he states in an interview in today's Guardian - imagine spending years as an intelligence officer, working diligently to subvert the Kremlin, only to watch the US stand with Russia, Iran and North Korea, as it did in February when it voted against a UN resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine. In that moment, Weiner said: “You come to the realization, if you hadn’t already: ‘My God, the president of the United States has gone over to the other side. He has joined the authoritari…

I recently came across a youtube video titled "The Tragic Life of Male Concubines in Roman Empire". It goes into detail about how keeping boys as male concubines was a much more common practice on an horrific scale than most will have realised, with boys around 12 being especially desired. Greek boys were more expensive due to their perceived sophistication, refinement and education. The vdo is much too long as there is too much endless repetition. But it made me want to learn more. Youtube does not permit uploading of the vdo - this is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rimSgImcd-w One of the commentators mentions that some of detail in the video is cont…

I have enjoyed what is rather loosely termed classical music since I started piano lessons at the age of six. I have had the joy of hearing many of the great musicians in concert and others on CDs and other means. Occasionally I come across a musician who I find extraordinary and of whom I have heard nothing at all! Anyone who happened to watch the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Finals (something I would never normally do) will know that the 18-year old South Korean winner Yunchan Lim is an absolute genius. That one so young had never studied outside South Korea was extraordinary. And when he completed the marathon Third Concerto by Rachmaninoff, the con…

The documentary is titled Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes. Trailer of YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTPljOAhj8g&t=1s Review from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/07/hidden-master-the-legacy-of-george-platt-lynes-review-eye-opening-snapshot-of-new-yorks-queer-scene

Hard to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since this iconic movie hit theatres around the world starting in December 2005. It was re-released in certain territories last week. Less hard to believe even today are the difficulties the film makers endured in getting Annie Proulx's short novel on to the screen. Director Ang Lee was on board from the start. The story about ordinary American cowboys who fall in love despite the serious reservations of one of the pair, however, was not popular with studios or with certain well known actors. Jake Gyllenhaal liked the script immediately. Other actors were approached about the role of Ennis, some even accepting. But all…

After all the priase for the movie "Oppenheimer", one director claims it rather missed the boat with certain omissions. He intends to rectify them. While praising Chritopher Nolan's multilpe award winning movie, James Cameron has called it a "moral cop out". He feels Nolan should have spent more of the film on the after effects in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "I felt that it dodged the subject," he claims. My own view is that "Oppenheimer" was about the making and internal political consequences of the bomb rather than its effects. Cameron, though, is ploughing ahead with another bomb movie adapted from a forthcoming non-fiction book "Ghosts of Hiroshima" which brings tog…

Well, not quite! He's 99 tomorrow and I hope he not only makes it but several more birthdays in future. I'll always remember one of his funniest jokes, but cannot recall where or when I heard it! He had proposed to the lovely actor Anne Bancroft who had said "Yes!" He then had to tell his very Jewish mother he would be marrying a Roman Catholic. She accepted the news, at first seeming to give him her blessing. She then added, "Have her come round for lunch on Sunday. I'll be in the kitchen - with my head in the oven!"

For those who remember the early 1990s and the children's entertainer Pee-Wee Herman, there used to be a sick joke. Question: "What links the man who shot Ronald Reagan and the one who sat in front of Pee-Wee Herman?" Answer: "They were both shot in the back". The reference is of course to two events. The shooting of President Reagan by John Hinckley and the arrest of Pee Wee Herman for being caught masturbating in a Florida cinema. Not being American, I had never heard of Pee-Wee Herman until that event. I thought then, as I still do, that it was a strange name for a children's entertainer. But he was hugely popular. At the Sundance Film Festival earlier this…

There was a time after "Phantom of the Opera" that everyone assumed Andrew Lloyd Webber had finally lost his mojo. None of his six later shows worked and most lost a lot of money. Even "Sunset Boulevard" which he and the producers assumed would be the next "Phantom" pot boiler made milions in losses. Since then he has largely remounted versions of earlier musicals like "The Sound of Music". Now though, he is becoming flavour of the month again. His Broadway revival of "Sunset Boulevard" in a very different type of production just walked away with the Tony Award for the Best Revival of a Musical. It was his first award for 30 years. Nicole Sherzinger also walked away…

In my youth I only purchased a handful of pop singles and LPs. The Beatles, the Stones, Procul Harem's "Grand Hotel" - the LP purchased solely for their massive hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale" but I soon came to love every song on that album - and of course The Beach Boys. Their songs illuminated the sun and fun of the great California outdoors, such a contrast to what felt like still drab Britain beyond swinging London. RIP

I rarely read a book from cover to cover. One exception is what is almost certainly Fosyth's most famous thriller "The Day of the Jackal". When I bought it in 1972 quite literally I could not put it down. I think I finshed it at around 6:30 in the morning. I also enjoyed the subsequent 1973 movie with Edward Fox as the Jackal, athough it is obviously showing its age now. The book was recently made into a 10-part series of 1-hour episodes with Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal. I watched all ten episodes en route to and from London in March. I absolutely loved it. Faster-paced, a much more complex plot and some great visuals as well as acting, I can't wait for the second s…

A more lighthearted thread. Can you list the five movies that you consider your favourites? And with just one sentence for each to explain why? I know most such lists are for a minimum of 10 or 20, but it seems more fun just to make the limit five. But you can also add what I term a "sleeper" - a movie that most may not have seen but which has a special meaning for you. My list: Psycho I saw this as a teenager and it was the first movie during which I jumped out of my seat at least three times and almost screamed. Lawrence of Arabia David Lean’s masterpiece epic in my view, better than Dr Zhivago and far better than Passage to India and Ryan’s Daughte…

I know this "five favourite" theme could get boring. Before it does, can I suggest a five favourite books along with a one sentence (please just one) as to exactly why you like it. Not as easy as movies, I think, if only because whilst we tend to watch favourite movies more than once or twice, reading books more than twice is relatively rare. Not necessarily gay subject matter - any is acceptable. In no particular order. Anyway, here is my selection. Paul Scott: The Raj Quartet I know this is a bit of a cheat because this is a four-book novel, but as a gigantic scenario seen from British and Indian eyes as the British Empire is dying it is utterly riveting. …

A major force in gay literature for the last 50-odd years: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/04/edmund-white-novelist-dies

Mickey 17 is currently on HBO. The political aspect parallels our current incompetency and greed in Washington. Robert Pattinson was good. I'm not a huge Sci Fi fan but overall a decent movie.

From the Straits Times Thai tear-jerker How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has made the shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, it was announced in Los Angeles on Dec 17. The film that became a sensation in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia joins 14 other non-English-language films on the shortlist. The family drama about a cancer-stricken grandmother (Usha Seamkhum) and her scheming grandson (Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul) is the first Thai movie to make the Oscars shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category, formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film. It is also the only …

Lucky proposed a thread for streaming service suggestions, so here it is... Maybe we can try to suggest and promote great things which don't get much attention (so the opposite of the Tiger King...).

In my post earlier today about Julie Christie, I mentioned Michel Legrand's wonderful score which unquestionably adds to "The Go-Between"s effect on audiences. Legrand was of course a master of the art of composing for film. His great scores include "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" which won him his first Academy Award nomination. I feel his best score - and certainly best song - was for the 1968 "The Thomas Crown Affair" (the orignal and not the poor remake with Piers Brosnan) for which he won the Oscar for best song "Windmills of Your Mind". This has been covered by endless major artists. I just think the original sung by Noel Harrison is still the best. Great lyrics and sc…

What's the story behind this Art🖼️ picture that I took in the TBMI in Jomtien please

With a 6-decade career, the gorgeous actor Julie Christie is 85 this week. Exactly 60 years ago she graced cinema screens as Lara in David Lean's epic movie "Dr. Zhivago". That same year she was the undoubted star of the lesser movie "Darling". The film that has most entranced me, though, was her portrayal of Marian in Joeph Losey's 1971 "The Go-Between" with its wonderful cast including Edward Fox, Alan Bates, Margaret Leighton and Sir Michael Redgrave. Set in a large aristocratic country house during a blisteringly hot summer at the turn of the century, Christie plays the older sister of a boarding school boy of around 12, Marcus, who has invited a schoolfriend fro…

When I heard that James Sweeney was creating a film costarring Dylan O'Brien, I was excited. I admire both quite a lot. Sweeney wrote, directed and starred in Straight Up a few years ago, a clever, funny movie. I watched it on Netflix. O'Brien has done a variety of roles. I enjoy him. The film is at Sundance, where it is having very positive buzz. I splurged and bought a ticket for the on-line screening before it sold out. Looking forward to it!! Twinless is about two grieving men that bond in support group and form unlikely friendship.

I watched the 1st episode of S3 of The White Lotus on HBO and looking forward to episode #2 tomorrow. Many of you actually live in Thailand, right? Is this show airing there? Is there any reaction in Thailand? Are you watching it? I love it. The music. The vibe. The scenery and culture.

From CNN (From left) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun.'Sunset Boulevard/Corbis Historical/Getty Images Val Kilmer, a movie star who throughout his career proved he was up for any task, from playing a cocky naval pilot to wearing the Batman suit, died on Tuesday, according to his daughter Mercedes Kilmer, who released a statement to the New York Times and the Associated Press. He was 65. The cause of death was pneumonia, Mercedes Kilmer told the media outlets. Kilmer had recovered from a 2014 throat cancer diagnosis that required tracheotomy surgery that altered his voice. In recent years, …